Ice picking and grading machine



April 1, 1941. T. F. LILLY 2,237,078

' ICE PICKING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3I ThOma/sFLLLQ,

April 1, 1941. T. F. LILLY ICE PICKING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 5,1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 311/0241 You, fiwma ffldg, a

Patented Apr. 1, 1941 UNITED STATES 21 Claims.

My invention relates to an ice picking and grading machine and it is anobject of the same to provide means whereby blocks of ice may be reducedto pieces of relatively small size, which pieces in turn maybe graded soas to be sold in bulk, as now desired for various uses, each grade'consisting of pieces of approximately similar size so that one grademay be used for such purposes as the packing of ice cream, another gradefor cooling bottled beverages, etc.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed, which shall be capable of forming sized ice consisting ofpieces all of which are of relatively large size, or crushed iceconsisting of pieces of various sizes suitable for grading, according tothe wish of the user.

Referring to the drawings which are made a part of this application, andin which similar reference characters indicate similar parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device, with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of the hopper or chute;

Fig. 4 a similar view of a modified form, and

Fig. 5 a plan of a [detail shown in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, reference character H] indicates a framework upon whichis supported a chute II which is preferably inclined sufficiently sothat a block of ice entered at the open end thereof will tend to slidedownwardly toward a pick-drum l2. The pick-drum has mounted on itsperiphery a plurality of sets of picks 13 which may vary in length andvary in pitch. In a preferred form of the invention the picks include aset of short teeth such as indicated at a, a set of medium. teeth asindicated at 'b, and a set of long teeth such as indicated at c, andeach tooth having the point formed to provide a different angle, asindicated at al, b2, 03 though such angular formation is not essential.The difference in length of the teeth is the important point in thisregard; i. e., the radial distance of the point of the tooth from thedrum (or the axis of rotation of the drum) to which the various teethextend. The teeth are preferably so shaped as to enter the ice at aright angle and to break it off cleanly without making any considerableamount of small ice fragments, snow and slush. While I do not limitmyself to picks of any particular length or pitch, such lengths asone-and-one-half inches, three inches, and four-and-one-half inches forthe respective N T O F F l C sets are considered desirable, the picks ofeach set being formed at different angle to operate in a comb-likemanner and to strike the ice at an acute angle.

The drum I2 is mounted on a shaft l4 provided at one side of the chute ll with a fly wheel l5 and extending outward to a substantial distance atthe other side, as shown in Fig. 2, the

shaft being provided with a cushioned flexible coupling for cushioningshocks caused by the striking of the picks against the ice, to preventtransfer of such shocks to the motor, this shaft M being furtherprovided with a worm-wheel l'l. Worm-wheel H is driven by a worm l8 on ashaft l9 which'in. turn is driven by a motor 20. As to this and otherfeatures of the invention, it is to be understood that I contemplateusing other sources of power and equivalent mechanisms.

Cooperating with the pick-drum l2 there is breaking means comprising, inthe preferred form, a series of breaker bars 2| laterally separated asindicated in Fig. 2 and arranged for adjustment toward and. from theperiphery of the drum. As best shown in Fig. 3 the means for suchlateral adjustment comprises a handle 22 and a rack 23 having aplurality of spaces adapted to be engaged by a tooth 24 on the undersideof the horizontal portion of the handle. As here shown the bars aresupported for sliding engagement with the bottom of the chute but itwill be obvious that they may be supported for vertical movement, orotherwise, so long as the movement is such as to vary the space betweenthe picks on the pick-drum and the ice-supporting surfaces of thebreaker or grating.

It will be evident from the foregoing that if a block of ice is enteredat the intake 25 of the chute it will move inward against the wheel soas to press lightly against it, as compared with the usual arrangement,wherein the hopper is above the drum and the ice block rests directly onthe wheel.

The arrangement of the breaker bars 2 I, which may be formed asaxunitary member, or which may be separate bars suitably securedtogether, is such that the entire supporting face for the ice is at alow angle to the horizontal, e. g., about 25 to 30, so that a block ofice placed thereon Will slide toward the drum, but so that the action ofgravity will be counteracted by friction to such an extent that theblock will just slide nicely but will never bear against the ends of thepicks with any substantial pressure. Thus it becomes possible to avoid.to the maximum any scratching of the face of the block, tending to makesnow ice, and to insure that the picks will strike cleanly and willbreak off chunks along planes extending from the points of the pickstions that are provided with reference to the number of differentlengths of teeth on the drum), only the long teeth will engage the iceblock and will break off pieces of generally similar large size, theshorter teeth being practically idle except that they may help to carrysuch large pieces through the throat between the drum and the gradingand out of. the machine. Even though shorter teeth may happen to strikethe ice block they will not ordinarily break off ice chunks, sinceeffective breaking seems to require that the block be so supported as tooffer direct resistance to the force exerted by a tooth, and it has beenproved. conclusively that much more precise control of the desired sizeof ice fragments is had where different sized teeth are used. If thegrating be moved to an intermediate position, both the long and themedium teeth may engage the ice block or the broken off large pieces tobreak them further, 1. e., broken off chunks too large to be reached bythe medium teeth will be held in the throat between the drum and thegrating until further broken by the medium teeth, thus providing piecesof two or more sizes which can later be separated or graded according tosize; if the grating be moved to a position closer to the drum, theshortest teeth also come into action, the short teeth breaking offpieces of ice and also breaking up large chunks that cannot pass throughthe throat between the drum and the adjacent ends of the grate bars,thus providing additional grades of ice. If the grating is moved to itsextreme inward position permitted by the holding means shown in Fig. 3the ice fragments will be ground against the face of the drum, as

the only exit is then byway of the spaces be tween the bars of thegrating, through which the pick teeth pass. The different length teethon the wheel being formed to contact at different angles, engage the iceblock in a comb-like manner. Crushers are known in which the teeth actat a right angle to the bars of the grating, so as in effect to grindthe ice, but in mine they strike at an acute angle to the grating, so astobreak the ice.

It is within the provision of my invention to make the grate sections ofdifferent lengths so that, for example, the longest teeth might enterbetween the longest bars 2| in the close-up position of the grating, andother variations will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

As one form of such variation I have shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a breakerconsisting of a handle portion 22 and means for supporting a shaft 21,carrying a roller consisting of a series of spaced disks 28, each of thedisks having teeth 29 for coaction with the picks I3 and the pick-Wheell2. This roller may be adjusted to and fro with reference to theperiphery of the pick-drum, as above described, or in any other suitablemanner, and it will be obvious that the roller may be rotated due to theaction of the pick-drum on the ice passing between the disks or it mightbe driven in a suitable manner, as desired. It will be evident that thegrating can be set so close to the pick drum, in this form of theinvention, that the serrated disks will crush the broken ice against thesurface of the drum l2 itself, so making a still finer product.

From the lower end of the chute the fragments of ice pass into acylinder 30 having a foraminous periphery, 1 This cylinder is rotatableand open at both ends so that pieces of ice which do not pass throughtheperiphery of the cylinder will be fed out into a container 3| at theexit end of the drum. The outer wall of the cylinder consists of wovenwire or expanded metal, or any other suitable material provided withopenings therein. Preferably, a seamless Woven wire tube is used, thesame having large meshes in the part 33 nearer to the intake end. Asmany zones may be provided as there are to be different grades of iceand containers such as 34 and 35 are provided underneath the respectivezones or cylinder sections;

For causing the ice fragments to pass in proper manner from end to endof the screen, I provide conveying means, here shown as a spiralconveyor 36 attached to the screen, by the use of which the fragmentarymaterial is moved endwise of the revolving cylinder, and the largerpieces will be lifted so as to fall back to the bottom of the cylinder,and this lifting will disengage pieces of ice that may be entangled inthe holes of the screen. Merely locating the cylinder in inclinedfashion, with the outer end of its supporting shaft 31 lower than theintake end, would of course serve to some extent to cause the desiredmovement of the ice fragments lengthwise of the grading drum, but somesuch conveying means as here shown is deemed desirable for strengtheningthe drum. The bottom end of the. chute is elevated above the bottom partof the cylindrical sifter sufliciently so that the ice fragments aredelivered over that part of the spiral 36 which is close to the chuteand which is about six inches in height, as measured Vertically.

Obviously, the grader may be driven in any one of numerous ways. Asimple preferred method herein shown, comprises the formation of asuitable friction surface at 38 on the head of the drum at the intakeend thereof, this friction surface being engaged by a friction gear 39fixedl to the shaft l9, whereby the cylinder is driven. at a reducedspeed as compared to the shaft I 9.

The operation of the machine'is a simple, continuous one, in which theice fragments are torn or broken off the block and thrown toward thegrader, thus taking advantage of both the operation of the picking meansand of gravity for propelling them toward the grading means. There isminimum power and labor required, and a very small floor space andlittle head room is required. Obviously. the number of grades can bevaried readily, in accordance with the needs of the user. Preferably thecylinder is made in a single length of wire mesh, with a varying weaveso as to. provide smaller holes near'the intake end of the cylinder andzones of successively larger ones toward its other end. How,- ever, I donot limit myself to a rotary cylinder as other grading devices may beutilized,

While I do not limit myself to any particular arrangement of picks onthe pick wheel, I have found that a placement comprising two long picksc at opposite sides of the-wheel and respectively located one-third ofthe length of the wheel from the respective ends of the same; plus picksb of intermediate length halfway between the long picks and halfwaybetween picks c and the ends of the wheel; plus short picks a midwaybetween the picks b and c and also midway between the ends of the wheeland the adjacent picks (b or c) constitutes a good working arrangement.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that numerous variationsnot mentioned above may be made in the device of my invention, allwithout departing from the spirit of the invention; therefore, I do notlimit myself to what is shown in the drawings and described in thespecification, but only as required by the state of the known art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a machine for making sized ice, the combination of a rotary drummeans for supporting an ice block, said means providing a continuouslyfiat ice supporting face at a low angle to the horizontal, theprojection of said ice supporting face intersecting said drum betweenits axis and its periphery, breaker bars forming parts of saidsupporting face and supporting the underside of said block adjacent tosaid drum, said bars being adjustable toward and from said drum topermit the ice block thereon to overhang said supporting face to varyingextents, a series of picks extending outward from the drum to differentdistances, said picks including long and short picks spaced apartlengthwise of said drum, the long picks being relatively widely spacedfrom each other, said picks being so located as to pass between saidbars when the support is close to the drum but leaving an open throatbetween the outer ends of the picks and the bars when the bars are movedaway from the drum.

2. In a machine for making sized ice, the combination of a rotary drummeans for supporting an ice block, said means providing a continuouslyflat ice supporting face, the projection of said ice supporting faceintersecting said drum between its axis and its periphery, breaker barsforming parts of said supporting face and engaging the underside of saidblock adjacent to said a series of picks extending outward from the drumto different distances, said picks including a plurality of sets ofpicks of different lengths in interspersed relation, all of the picksbeing spaced lengthwise of the drum, the picks of the longest set beingrelatively far apart and those of an intermediate set being closertogether and means for adjusting said breaker bars from a position wheretheir ends are close to the drum to a position where their ends arespaced outwardly from the ends of the picks, said ice block overhangingsaid supporting face in the outer positions of said breaker bars.

3. In a machine for making sized ice, the combination of a rotary drum,a chute, means in said chute for supporting an ice block, said meansproviding a continuously fiat ice supporting sur face above the bottomof said chute at a low angle to the horizontal, the projection of saidice supporting surface intersecting said drum between its axis and itsperiphery, breaker bars engaging the underside of said block adjacent tosaid drum, and permitting said ice block to overhang their ends, aseries of picks of different lengths ex tending outward from the drum todifferent distances, the picks of the series including staggered sets oflong picks, picks of intermediate length and short picks, the long picksbeing space-d farthest apart lengthwise of said drum, the icks ofintermediate length being spaced less widely apart, and the spacesbetween each of the shortest picks and a pick adjacent thereto beingstill shorter than the spaces between picks of intermediate length saidbreaker bars being adjustable .to locate their ends close to theperiphery of the drum or outward beyond the ends of the longest picks orto intermediate positions.

4. An ice picking and grading or sizing machine comprising :a chute, adrum rotatable on a horizontal axis extending crosswise of said chute,ice picks :on said drum extending radially outward to diiferentdistances from the surface of the a support in the chute for holdingblocks of ice in posi ion for engagement of said picking meanstherewith, said support including a freely rotatable roller withlaterally spaced having radial teeth between them between which diskssome of said picks may pass, and means for adjusting said roller towardand from said picking means.

5. In :a machine for providing sized ice, the combination of a chute, acylinder mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis in line with saidchute, said cylinder having an open end facing toward said chute .thelower part of said cylinder being below the level of the lower margin ofsaid chute, said cylinder having a zone of relatively small perforationsadjacent said open end and having one or more zones of successivelylarger openings beyond said first-named zone, and rotary ice pickingmeans on. a horizontal axis extending transversely of said chute, saidmeans being arranged rto project ice fragments through said chute andinto and endwise of said drum due to the momentum imparted to saidfragments by said picking means.

6. A device as in claim 5, with a spiral conveyor fixed to the innerperiphery of the cylinder rotatable therewith for moving the icefragments positively lengthwise of the drum.

7. A device as in claim 5, the end of said cylinder farthest from saidchute being open for discharge of any ice fragments of excessive size.

8. In a machine for providing sized ice, the combination of a chute, acylinder mounted for rotation about an approximately horizontal axis,said cylinder having an open end the lower part of which is below thelevel of the lower margin of said chute, said cylinder having a zone ofrelatively small perforations adjacent said open end and having one ormore zones of successively larger openings beyond said first-named zone,notary :ice picking means on a horizontal axis extending transversely ofsaid chute, said means being arnanged to project ice fragments into andendwise of said cylinder due to the momentum imparted thereto by saidpicking means, said ice picking means comprising a drum having on itsperiphery sets of picks of different length and means in said chute forsupporting a block of ice in position either to coact positively onlywith the picks of the longest set, or with more than one of said sets.

9. In a machine for providing sized ice, the combination of a chute, acylinder mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, said cylinderhaving an open end the lower part of which is below the level of thelower margin of said chute, said cylinder having a zone of relativelysmall perforations adjacent said open end and having one or more zonesof successively larger openings beyond said first-named zone, rotary icepicking means on a horizontal axis extending transversely of said chute,said means being arranged to project ice fragments into and endwis'e ofsaid drum due to the momentum i-mparted to said fragments by saidpicking means,

said ice picking means comprising a drum having on its periphery sets ofpicks differing in length, a grid for supporting a block of ice, andmeans whereby said grid may be adjusted toward and from said drum, thebars of said grid being arranged in staggered relation with said picks,so that the picks can pass between said bars when the grid is broughtnear the drum.

10. In a machine for providing sized ice, the combination of a chute, a,cylinder mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, said cylinderhaving an open end facing the lower end of said chute the lower part ofsaid cylinder being below the level of the lower marginof said chute,said cylinder having a zone of relatively small perforations adjacentsaid open end and havingone or more zones of successively largeropenings beyond said first-named zone, rotary ice picking means on ahorizontal axis extending transversely of said chulte adjacent thedischarge end there-- of, means for rotating said ice picking means in adirection to project ice fragments into and endwise of said cylinder dueto the momentum imparted to said fragments by said picking means, saidice picking means comprising a drum bearing comb-like picks, andice-block supporting means cooperating therewith, said supporting meanscomprising toothed disks constructed to rotate during the ice pickingoperation.

l1. A device as in claim 10, said picks being arranged in rows adaptedto enter the spaces between said disks, as and for the purposedescribed.

12. In a machine for providing sized ice, the combination of an inclinedchute, grading means having a grading surface extending approximatelyhorizontally rearwardly from the outlet end of said chute below thelevel of the lower end of the chute and positioned to receive icefragments directly therefrom, and rotary ice picking means in the chutearranged to project ice fragments from said chute to and along saidgrading surface due to the momentum imparted to said fragments by saidpicking means and said chute.

13. In a machine for providing sized ice, the combination of an inclinedchute, grading means arranged to receive material directly from saidchute, ice picking means in said chute comprising a rotary picker withteeth so arranged as to throw ice fragments toward the lower end of saidchute and into said grading means, means at the side of the pickerremote from said grading means for supporting an ice cake in operativerelation to said picker, said grading means comprising a rotary cylinderwith small perforations therethrough in a zone adjacent said chute andwith one or more zones of successively larger perforations followingsaid first zone, and a spiral conveyor fixed to the inner periphery ofthe cylinder, the lower portion of said cylinder being sufficiently farbelow the lower end of said chute to permit ice fragments to pass overthe part of the spiral adjacent to said chute.

14. A machine for making sized ice, comprising a rotary drum, picks onsaid drum including long picks and short picks, and means for supportinga block of ice at a low angle to the horizontal and in position to slidetoward said drum, said means including breaker bars providing alineadjacent the drum beyond which the ice block may overhang the spacebetween said bars and said drum, and adjusting means for varying thespace between said breaker bars and said drum from a position where saidline is beyond the ends of the long picks to positions where the shorterpicks coact with the ends of the breaker bars to reduce the size ofpieces of ice broken off by the long picks.

15. A machine for making sized ice, comprising a drum, ice supportingmeans including breaker bars adjacent said drum, said means providing afixed ice supporting face at a low angle to the horizontal, a few widelyspaced long teeth along said drum, a greater number of more closelyspaced teeth of intermediate length interspersed with said lon teeth,and a still greater number of short teeth still more closely spacedalong said drum, said short teeth being interspersed with the long andintermediate teeth, said breaker bars being adjustable from a positionclose to the peripher of the drum to a position outwardly from the endsof the longest teeth, as and for the purpose described.

16. A machine for making sized ice, comprising a drum, ice supportingmeans including breaker bars adjacent said drum, said means providing afixed ice supporting face at a low angle to the horizontal, long teethwidely spaced .along said drum, shorter teeth interspered with said longteeth, said teeth being of angular shape to make their pointssubstantially tangent to the circles described by said points, and thebreaker bars being adjustable from a position where the teeth passbetween them to a position spaced beyond the ends of the longest teeth.

1'7. In a machine for making sized ice, the combination of a casingclosed at the top, a rotary pick drum therein, picks on said drum, anintake chute for ice blocks at one side of the drum, means in said chutefor supporting large blocks of ice, said means including a member havinga surface of substantial length that is permanently fixed at a low angleso as to carry substantially the entire weight of such an ice blockwhile permitting it to slide toward the pick drum under the action ofgravity, the lower end of said supporting means being normally spacedlaterally away from said drum to provide an open throat between said endand the drum whereby an ice block may overhang said end of saidsupporting surface, breaker bars at the inner end of said supportingmeans between which said picks may pass, and means for adjusting saidmember toward and from said drum from a position where the ends of saidbreaker bars are spaced outwardly beyond the ends of said picks to aposition where the ends of the breaker bars are closely adjacent to saiddrum.

18. In a machine for making sized ice, the combination of a casingclosed at the top, a rotary pick drum therein, picks on said drum, anintake chute for ice blocks at one side of the drum, means in said chutefor supporting large blocks of ice, said means including a member havinga surface of substantial length that is permanently fixed at a low angleso as to carry substantially the entire weight of such an ice blockwhile permitting it to slide toward the pick drum under the action ofgravity, the inner end of said supporting means being normally spacedlaterally away from said drum to provide an open throat between said endand the drum whereby an ice block may overhang said end of saidsupporting surface, said drum having a small number of widely spaced lonpicks and a greater number of shorter picks interpersed with the longpicks, breaker bars on said member spaced to permit/the picks to passbetween the bars, and means for adiusting said breaker bars from aposition where the inner ends of said bars are spaced outward beyond theends of the longest picks to a position Where the ends of said bars areclosel adjacent to the periphery of said drum.

19. In a machine for making sized ice, the combination of a casingclosed at the top, a rotary pick drum therein, an intake chute for iceblocks, means in said chute for supporting large blocks of ice, saidmeans including a member having a surface of substantial length that ispermanently fixed at a low angle so as to carry substantially the entireweight of such an ice block While permitting it to slide toward the pickdrum under the action of gravity, the lower end of said supporting meansbeing normally spaced laterally away from said drum to provide an openthroat between said end and the drum whereby an ice block may overhangsaid end of said supporting surface, a relatively small number of longpicks on said drum for breaking off large fragments of ice from saidblock, a relatively large number of smaller picks onsaid druminterspersed with said long picks at one side of the drum, breaker barsat the inner end of said supporting means between which said picks maypass to break such large fragments into smaller fragments, and means foradjusting said member toward and from said drum from a position wherethe ends of said breaker bars are spaced outwardly beyond the ends ofsaid picks to a position where the ends of the breaker bars are closelyadjacent to said drum.

length that is permanently fixed at a low angle so as to carrysubstantially the entire weight of such an ice block while ermitting itto slide toward the pick drum under the action of gravity, the inner endof said supporting means being normally spaced laterally away from saiddrum to provide an open throat between said end and the drum whereby anice block may overhang said end of said supporting surface, a smallnumber of widely spaced long picks on said drum for breaking ofi largefragments of ice from a block so supported, a larger number ofintermediate picks interspersed with said long picks, a still largernumber of short picks interspersed with said other picks, breaker barson said member spaced to permit the picks to pass between the bars forreducing said fragments to smaller size, and means for adjusting saidbreaker bars stepwise from a position where the inner ends of said barsare spaced outwardly beyond the ends of the longest picks to a positionwhere the ends of said bars are closely adjacent to the periphery ofsaid drum.

21. In a machine for making sized ice, the combination of a casingclosed at the top, a rotary pick drum therein, picks on said drum, anintake chute for ice blocks at one side of the drum, means in said chutefor supporting large blocks of ice, said means including a member havinga surface of substantial length that is permanently fixed at a low angleso as to carry substantially the entire weight of such an ice blockwhile permitting it to slide toward the pick drum under the action ofgravity, the lower end of said supporting means being normally spacedlaterally away from said drum to provide an open throat between said endand the drum whereby an ice block may overhang said end of saidsupporting surface for engagement by said picks.

THOMAS F. LILLY.

